Conventionally, as a technique to erase data recorded on a storage apparatus, such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive), techniques have been known in which data erase software is executed on a computer or a special-purpose data erase apparatus is used.
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are diagrams illustrating conventional data erase techniques. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating the configuration of a computer having data erase software installed thereon. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the external appearance of a data erase apparatus.
For erasing data in a storage apparatus using data erase software, after installing the data erase software to a computer 500, such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a server, as depicted in FIG. 9, a storage apparatus 501 data of which is to be erased is mounted to the computer 500.
Thereafter, by executing data erase software on the computer 500, the data erase software erase the data in the storage apparatus 501.
A data erase apparatus 600 is an apparatus for data erase in the storage apparatus 501, and is configured to include an interface 601 for connection with the storage apparatus 501, an input switch 602, a processor (not illustrated), a memory (not illustrated) in which a data erase program is recorded, for example, as depicted in FIG. 10.
After attaching a storage apparatus 501, data of which is to be erased, to the interface 601 of the data erase apparatus 600, data erase is carried out in the storage apparatus 501 by entering an instruction to begin data erase from the input switch 602, which causes the processor to execute the data erase program.
Such erase of data in a storage apparatus is carried out to prevent leakage of customer data stored in a HDD to outside when the HDD in the customer's computer system is exchanged during preventive maintenance task of the computer, for example.
However, conventional data erase techniques for erasing data in a storage apparatus using data erase software, for example, as described above have a problem in that data erase cannot be carried out if no data erase software is installed in the computer.
In addition, even if data erase software is installed in a computer having a HDD to be swapped, executing the data erase software on the computer that is currently used is not desirable from the viewpoints of operating jobs and processing speed of the system. The data erase software may erroneously erase data in a HDD which is not intended to be erased or data being used.
Alternatively, data erase software is installed in a mobile computer (notebook PC) or the like of a maintenance engineer, rather than in the operating computer, and a HDD is connected to the maintenance engineer's computer. However, connecting the customer's HDD to the maintenance engineer's notebook PC or the like is not desirable due to the security reasons, such as information leakage or the risk of infection with a computer virus.
On the contrary, if data in the customer's HDD is deleted using the data erase apparatus 600, the maintenance engineer has to bring the data erase apparatus 600 to the customer's premise.
For this purpose, disk drives having a data erase function have been known, for example. In this technique, in response to a switch being operated, a CPU provided in the disk drive executes data erase program to erase data sectors on the disk drive.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2003-167681
However, in the above-described technique, data on a disk drive without a data erase function cannot be erased. In addition, power is required to be supplied to the CPU for enabling the data erase function, thus data can be erased only when the disk drive is mounted on a server or a disk array apparatus, which is inconvenient.